Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday 136 - Seascapes with birds

Something a little different this week.  When I started Wild Bird Wednesday (taking over from Dave at World Bird Wednesday - is anybody in contact with him?)  I wanted it to be a group where we could post a range of images of wild birds - and the range would only be limited by peoples imagination of how you could photograph wild birds.

However, most of this shots I have posted have been classic bird portraits - what I have come to call 'guide book shots'.  Now, before people get all excited and think that I want to change the kinds of posts people can link to WBW, thats not the case - I just want to remind people that all kinds of images are welcome on WBW, not just guide book shots.

So, here are my images for this week - they are all seascapes with birds.  Watching birds on the sea is a remarkable experience.  The grace and the simple sleek way in which they catch up to and them overtake noisy, fume producing boats is remarkable.

Albatros, with their effortless flight.  Gannets with they angular flight and plunging dives.







These shots really, really need to be seen at a bigger size - so click on them to see a better version.
In the two Albatross shots you may be able to see flocks of Short Tailed Shearwaters (Mutton Birds) in the background just above the horizon.

The rock slabs behind the gannets have been turned a remarkable colour by a sea mist that is not really visible in any other way.  All I know is that I had to dry the front elements of lenses regularly!

Hope you enjoy these slight different takes on Wild Birds.

Now its your turn to join in - click on the blue button and off you go!

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41 comments:

  1. TexWisGirl18 February 2015 at 03:05

    nice rugged cliffs and seascapes. shows good bird environment. :)

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  2. Carletta18 February 2015 at 03:07

    I did enjoy enlarging them Stewart. When we lived where we could visit the beach and ocean I loved watching the sea gulls soar and hear their call. Here in the country it's watching the vultures soar.
    I like your first shot - so serene but that last one is very dramatic with the rock background.
    Have a wonderful week!

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  3. Heather Wilde18 February 2015 at 03:16

    I love those big seascape shots, you really get a feel for the bird in it's environment. Findlay is away in North Wales with limited internet access, so he has asked me to link him up and apologise that he cannot be around to comment this week.

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  4. Breathtaking18 February 2015 at 03:23

    Lovely peaceful seascapes shots, and in flight captures of the birds Stewart. The colour of the rock slabs is very unusual.

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  5. EG CameraGirl18 February 2015 at 03:28

    Beautiful shots of the birds' natural environment, Stewart!

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  6. FAB18 February 2015 at 03:43

    Excellent seascape images Stewart.

    I'll certainly try harder in future to show a species in its true environment.

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  7. Margaret Birding For Pleasure18 February 2015 at 03:46

    HI Stewart if I ever finish posting about Malawi and then South Africa i will get back to posting from Australia and show some of my shots that I took on a pelagic trip. I love all 3 shots of yours however the colour on those rocks with the Gannets against them is wonderful

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  8. Kenneth Cole Schneider18 February 2015 at 04:24

    Love those wide angle shots! Stewart, it took me quite a while to stop close-cropping all my bird shots and discarding those providing anything except a full side-on view. It is not only instructive but also aesthetically pleasant to see the bird in its habitat.

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  9. Andrea @ From The Sol18 February 2015 at 04:58

    Well, while we are all busy posting our "guide book" shots, you are off posting magnificent sea scapes with beautiful and graceful birds just passing through. So now you have started something ... mark my words, you are going to get many landscapes, seasacapes, desert scapes and whatevers ... Very Cool, Stewart. The pictures are wonderful and now we can all go through our archives and realize all the wonderful pictures we have passed over because they weren't big or clear i.e. Guide Book enough. Be careful what you wish for :) Have a great week, Stewart. Can't wait to see what next weeks WBW will look like :)

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  10. Karen18 February 2015 at 05:25

    Beautiful seascapes, and I love the cliffs.

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  11. mick18 February 2015 at 05:37

    Beautiful seascapes - wish I could see all my birds against that kind of background!

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  12. Sharon Wagner18 February 2015 at 05:53

    Beautiful landscape and bird shots. Birds always enhance the scenery though! I think of my blog posts as more travel photography. But with beautiful birds. All the better.

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  13. Lovable Derek18 February 2015 at 06:40

    These are fine photos. Very creative. I thank you for broadening my view of what makes a WBW shot. Also you've given me an excuse to start pubishing my million and one "Flock flying off now" shots - a thing that birds always seem to do as soon as I settle down to photograph them.

    Thanks for hosting this super meme.

    Have a good week.

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  14. eileeninmd18 February 2015 at 06:43

    Cool shots of the sea birds, Stewart.. I wish my photos were guide book quality, it's just not so..My birding post are mainly just for fun..I have never been on a pelagic birding trip, maybe someday. Thanks for hosting, have a happy week!

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  15. Bas.18 February 2015 at 07:10

    super wat is dit mooi.

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  16. Rebecca18 February 2015 at 07:35

    Great series of seascape photos. Thanks for hosting WBW.

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  17. Linda W.18 February 2015 at 08:05

    I love action shots of birds!

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  18. thewovenspoke18 February 2015 at 09:19

    Great shots with the birds in flight, I have been gone from the coast for a couple of weeks and miss the sea and the shorebirds. Have a happy week.

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  19. Brian King18 February 2015 at 09:35

    These are beautiful! Gorgeous seascapes!

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  20. ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©18 February 2015 at 09:54

    Great shots, Stewart!
    ~

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  21. Inspired By June18 February 2015 at 09:56

    In flight shots are some of my favorites, Stewart and yours are fantastic! Thanks for hosting!

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  22. This N That18 February 2015 at 10:53

    Great shots Stuart..Love the birds in flight...and the seascapes..
    Gorgeous rocks..

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  23. Unknown18 February 2015 at 11:49

    Great shots! So relaxing to look at while taking in the whole scenery.

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  24. Anonymous18 February 2015 at 12:00

    Gorgeous views!e

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  25. Mary Hone18 February 2015 at 14:10

    Thanks for the short trip to the sea. I could hear the gulls.

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  26. betty-NZ18 February 2015 at 16:19

    What great shots, as usual! I love seeing the colors and designs in the coastlines and yours are just beautiful!

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  27. Small City Scenes18 February 2015 at 17:39

    Excellent shots, Stewart. I made them larger and it made a world of difference.
    MB

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  28. Irma18 February 2015 at 19:48

    Beautiful images of birds in the natural environment
    The last one is my favorite.
    Best regards, Irma

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  29. Phil Slade18 February 2015 at 20:28

    I like your examples of bird seascapes Stewart. I would like to do more of the same but 100% of my birding is land based and i rarely sea watch unless somewhere special e.g east coast or abroad.

    Thanks again for WBW this week.

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  30. jp@A Green Ridge18 February 2015 at 22:56

    Stewart, those "slabs" are gorgeous!!!! That last photo does it for me...:)JP

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  31. Jo19 February 2015 at 00:42

    I love those rugged cliffs!

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  32. A Colorful World19 February 2015 at 03:04

    I am always awed by people's "guide book shots" because mine always fall short! But you are absolutely right, a beautiful scene which includes birds, and a nice look at their habitat, is a gem as well!

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  33. Maude Lynn19 February 2015 at 04:58

    These are beautiful! I particularly love that last one.

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  34. Adam Tilt19 February 2015 at 06:20

    Love this selection Stewart. I'm a big fan of seeing a bird photographed in its environment and these are classic examples.

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  35. Anonymous19 February 2015 at 14:04

    I like the rocks! Thanks for clarifying any bird photos are acceptable. Birds on the move make stunning photos.

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  36. Anonymous19 February 2015 at 17:52

    Fabulous shots - love the majesty of that last one.

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  37. Rick (Ratty)19 February 2015 at 18:25

    The water and those rocks are great backgrounds for the birds. The pictures really look extra clear.

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  38. NatureFootstep19 February 2015 at 19:52

    I´m not sure I have seen an albatross, but I have seen gannets for sure. They are gorgeous and very interesting birds. :)

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  39. Sallie (FullTime-Life)20 February 2015 at 08:23

    I appreciate your reminder, only because I'm such an amateur that none of my pictures are guidebook worthy ... to the point that sometimes I have almost felt guilty linking here. But everybody is always so kind and helpful that I've kept on -- and I learn so much here.

    (However guilt was not the reason I didn't link this week -- laziness and lack of time were.

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  40. CountryMouse20 February 2015 at 08:47

    I love seeing these birds in their natural environment. Amazing shots of the sea and cliffs and of birds in flight.

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  41. Sue (this n that)21 February 2015 at 09:21

    Fabulous photos and thanks for the enlargements too :D)

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